Hi everyone, just joined up, nice tribe here. I personally haven't managed to kill my TV yet but it's days seem numbered.
I recently obtained my first TV B-gone from Adbusters (actually my first and second as they accidentally overshipped) and am in the process of psyching myself up enough to use it.
The problem is that it isn't as easy to aim a remote control at a public TV as you might think. Not if you want to be a descreet culture-jammer that is. I managed to case out two bars and restaurants I tend to frequent who have multiple, loud TVs, and there were just too many lines of sight criss-crossing the room like searchlights if you know what I mean - too many for me anyway. It doesn't take much imagination to realize that the ballsy approach will work once, but I think part of the point is to (a) not get caught so that you can do it again and (b) have the opportunity to be a repeat offender, since it's obvious the TV will come right back on in no time. Clearly part of the point, aside from muting the A/V nuisance, is to have fun with the people in the room (and force them to consciously focus for a few minutes on their desire to have TV).
So post your experiences, if you have had any, and let's share strategies!
I recently obtained my first TV B-gone from Adbusters (actually my first and second as they accidentally overshipped) and am in the process of psyching myself up enough to use it.
The problem is that it isn't as easy to aim a remote control at a public TV as you might think. Not if you want to be a descreet culture-jammer that is. I managed to case out two bars and restaurants I tend to frequent who have multiple, loud TVs, and there were just too many lines of sight criss-crossing the room like searchlights if you know what I mean - too many for me anyway. It doesn't take much imagination to realize that the ballsy approach will work once, but I think part of the point is to (a) not get caught so that you can do it again and (b) have the opportunity to be a repeat offender, since it's obvious the TV will come right back on in no time. Clearly part of the point, aside from muting the A/V nuisance, is to have fun with the people in the room (and force them to consciously focus for a few minutes on their desire to have TV).
So post your experiences, if you have had any, and let's share strategies!
posted by:
|
Oregon
|
-
Re: Killing public TVs (discreetly and repeatedly)
Thu, May 26, 2005 - 8:55 PMI guess points (a) and (b) are actually the same point, sorry about that, not sure what I was thinking. -
-
Re: Killing public TVs (discreetly and repeatedly)
Fri, May 27, 2005 - 11:33 AMsit at a high table and shoot from the hip. -
-
Re: Killing public TVs (discreetly and repeatedly)
Sun, May 29, 2005 - 9:27 PMdisguise your tv-b-gone:
www.hackaday.com/entry/1234000340041425/
i've found that this first generation tv-b-gone is sub-optimal. the button gets clicked whenever it's bumped, so the battery drains really quickly. i hope the next gen has a switch or a toggle or something.
however, i'm still madly in love with the little hunk of plastic, despite its flaws... -
-
Re: Killing public TVs (discreetly and repeatedly)
Sun, May 29, 2005 - 9:35 PMand i suppose i'm a bit laissez-faire when it comes to public TVs... i try not to turn one off when there's a chance someone's really watching it or where it's a central feature, like a sports bar or something. i kill TVs that exist for advertisers and for causing me vexation, like those in airports, waiting rooms, and other captive-audience settings.
i find that people generally don't get pissed off when i kill the latter type. -
-
Re: Killing public TVs (discreetly and repeatedly)
Thu, June 2, 2005 - 2:10 PMMy only wish is that people wouldn't use these devices in ER waiting rooms. I spend considerable amounts of time in them and have found that even if people aren't paying attention, televisions seem to calm them down, especially during the night. While I don't think this is a desirable response, the ER isn't the time to challenge it.
-
-
-
-
-
Re: Killing public TVs (discreetly and repeatedly)
Mon, February 20, 2006 - 9:42 AMAs I wrote in this forum some time last year, my local grocery chain store has installed flat-screen televisions at each checkout counter, as well as at strategic places around the store. The cacaphony created by the TV chatter competing with the in-store music system, which is liberally punctuated with verbal advertising, is most unwelcome. I feel captive while I am waiting to check out; it's not a choice (shopping there or not shopping there is my choice, I know).
At first the programming was limited to cooking demos and in-store promos. This week, however, as a "public service," they had olympic coverage on. I'm not a hockey fan. I do not enjoy the spectacle. It is an imposition. As I waited, in arms' reach of the unit, I decided to turn the damn thing off. I pried my way under the plastic guard and hit the button, only to be greeted with the on-screen message informing me, and my fellow patrons, that the controls were locked out. Surrender. Resentment. Annoyance.
Shades of 1984. The telescreens cannot be turned off. Watching is compulsory, and the NSA is watching you back. New Macs have vid-cams pointing back at you as you work in front of the screen. They're built-in, it's not an option. Duct tape to the rescue..? They were just 30 years off, that's all. -
-
Re: Killing public TVs (discreetly and repeatedly)
Mon, February 20, 2006 - 1:39 PMYou couldnt reach the power cable?
GaryQ
-
-
Re: Killing public TVs (discreetly and repeatedly)
Thu, June 1, 2006 - 4:34 PMWhat is this device you speak of? I'm confused. -
-
Re: Killing public TVs (discreetly and repeatedly)
Fri, June 2, 2006 - 3:32 PM -
-
Re: Killing public TVs (discreetly and repeatedly)
Wed, July 19, 2006 - 6:43 PMdiscreet is a treat,
but brick's can't be beat!
-
-
